In two weeks time, myself, Graymalkyn and Cyber are all flying to Dublin, Ireland to pay a visit and do our bit for a project that is dear to all of us. A fight against the establishment that has been going on for too long now. You see, all three of us have Irish ancestry, and feel very strongly about what is happening there at the moment. What am I on about? I'm on about Tara Hill.

In Ireland, as everyone knows, they love their history. But not as much as a good commute, apparently. One of the Republic's most revered and mystical sites lies between Dubliners and their new four-lane highway.

And despite the clamor from poets and pop stars, they're now breaking ground and breaking hearts - cutting through the ancient burial site known as Tara. I have taken this from the tarawatch website:

On June 14, 2007, construction resumed on a four-lane highway near the Hill of Tara in central Ireland. Traditionally the seat of the high kings of Ireland, the landscape is littered with burial mounds, rock art, earthen enclosures, and stone monuments. Tara, which has been described as Ireland's equivalent of Stonehenge, was named one of the 100 most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund this year.

Given Tara's cultural significance and national monument status, it is not surprising that the Irish government met resistance when it announced plans for a 60 km road running straight through the Gabhra Valley between Tara and the nearby Hill of Skreen. Archaeologists and historians claimed that the entire valley, not just the hill, contains historical monuments and artifacts and should therefore be protected. In its defense, the National Roads Association (NRA) argued that a new road was necessary because the existing N3 highway is deteriorating, thereby making travel dangerous and inefficient for drivers between Dublin and Navan. A deal was signed with Eurolink, an independent contractor, and construction began in Spring 2006.

The M3 proposal was heavily criticized, especially after the recent discovery of Lismullin, a ceremonial enclosure located on the edge of the valley, just 2 km (1.24 mi) away from Tara. It is thought to be from the Early Iron Age, which would make it at least 2,000 years old. The site consists of an outer enclosure 80 m in diameter and an inner enclosure 16 m in diameter. Both are bounded by two rings of stakeholes, suggesting that they were initially made from timber. It has been argued that the presence of a ritual site in the Gabhra Valley confirms earlier claims that Tara is a complex of historical monuments, and not only an isolated hill.

After the discovery of Lismullin, all works near the site were put on hold. Section 14 of the National Monuments Act of 2004 requires that road development stop when a historically significant monument is discovered in its path. The road authority must also report the find to the minister for the environment, who is in charge of providing directions to secure its preservation. In the case of Lismullin, Minister Dick Roche ordered that the site be preserved "by record." In other words, archaeologists record their findings as they excavate, and then the site is demolished to make room for the new highway.

The above outlines the historical importance of Tara. The site also has immense spiritual significance. Please, I ask all who read this, visit the website (www.tarawatch.org) and sign the petitions. It's a disgrace that the Irish government has decided to try and destroy this wonderful, historical site, just to build a new motorway. The EU Commissioner has stated that what they are doing is illeagle, but still they try and progress with this massacre.

This is why the three of us are flying to Dublin for 4 days. To camp with the protestors and do our bit to help. I urge anyone and everyone to do do the same. Even if it's just signing the petitions. Every little bit helps. Please.

I'm not doing this twice, thank you Whitewytch, Lunawolfseeker. One reply for both your tags!

Each player starts with eight random facts/habits or embarrassing things about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog."

1. I'm an ex-Civil Servant, and used to work in The Cabinet Office. I once sat next to Gordon Brown (the new British Prime Minister) in the staff canteen, when Labour first came to power!

2. My best friend is Freebird - who first introduced me to Covenspace (and boy am I glad he did!)

3. I've had 3 close brushes with death - but I believe my Dragon guide was watching over me, and thankfully I'm still here.

4. I've seen a ghost once, when I was about 8 years old whilst playing in this decrepit rundown old house with some friends. I went into the basement, and there she was - a grand old lady, sitting by this roaring log fire in her rocking chair, doing her knitting!

5. In a few weeks, I shall be travelling to Dublin with Graymalkyn and possibly some other friends, to do our bit for Tara (a historic Irish archeological site, which is being decimated by the Irish government so they can build a new motorway).

6. Although unbridled (untrained) I have strong empathic abilities. In the past, I have known when friends have needed me, even if they were on the other side of a PC monitor (in a chat room for e.g.) or through a general "hi, how you doing" type text message they sent me - that little connection was enough to tell me a whole lot more.

7. I was born with an extra finger on my left hand - although it sprouted out the side of my little finger and not the palm of my hand, and it was just skin and muscle, no bone (or so my dad told me). My dad said he twisted it off when I was a baby - and I still bare the scar of where it used to be.

8. I used to be a heavy drinker, but gave up alcohol on the spot when my doctor told me 8 years ago that it was a combination of stress and alcohol that had brought on my epilepsy at the age of 22. Giving up cigarettes isn't proving so easy :(

Tag, you're it!!!! Freebird, Graymalkyn, Cybergnome, DeMoNiCfAiRy, Coral, Epona16, Thistledowny, and Maria!!!!!

Thanks to some advice I received from Whitewytch, I feel I have overcome this mental block I have had recently, and as the evenings get darker, and TV programmes get worse, my mind turns more to study.

The study of the Bardic Grade of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD). Last week, I finished the introductory Gwers, (after 6 weeks or so of having received the course material!) and yesterday evening, I undertook the Bardic initiation ceremony. And it was an amazing experience.

I set out my sacred space in my living room, I lit my candle, and followed the ceremony chapter and verse from the book provided. I may have got my compass points slightly askew, but somehow it still seemed to work. My living room became this amazing forest clearing and after a short while of calm meditation, this elderly Druid appeared in front of me. Not clearly, but I could see him none-the-less.

He spoke to me, just as the book said he would, and I listened. What was said will stay sacred between the two of us, but it was an amazing experience.

Once the ceremony was complete, I had my tea, and went out to the local moot that happened to be on last night. One of my friends at the moot is also a Bard in the OBOD (although she has been studying a lot longer than myself, and is very knowledgeable - especially on Celtic and Roman history) and she is our groups resident Druid! She was so happy to hear about my experience, and welcomed me with great joy.

But that's not the end of the story. When I returned home from the nights jollies (it is more of a social moot after all), I sat in my sacred place in my back yard, had a cigarette and stared up at the cloudless night sky into the stars - one of which was brighter than all the others, and I felt it calling out to me. I started to meditate again, and yes, I someone, or something began talking to me as I sat there, undisturbed under the beautiful night sky. What I was told, again, I shall not divulge but needless to say it was to do with the OBOD and the study I now need to do, now the initiation ceremony is complete.

At last, he cries - I'm a Bard!!

Let me start off by apologising to all my friends on here, for not having been around as much as I would have liked recently. But I have a valid excuse, honest!

You see, yesterday (Saturday) was the first day I've had off work in 10 days. My last day off was Wednesday, August 29th. 9 straight days, 9 long days of work without a day off in between. And even yesterday, my first day off, I had to go in first thing otherwise the guy covering the site wouldn't have been able to get in and open up as he hadn't been and picked the spare keys up. I still ended up having to open the place up for him, and staying there longer than the anticipated 10 minutes - all because he turned up an hour and a half late (although that wasn't strictly his fault - our company forgot to tell him he was working today).

A run of 9 long 12 hour days does tend to take it out of you, and not having really got a decent nights sleep last night (I fell asleep sitting upright on the couch!) as soon as I got home around 9am I went back to bed! 5 hours later, I climbed out my pit and all was right with the world again hee hee. Boy did I need that sleep.

Work, sleep, work, sleep. A pretty repetitive pattern, I'm sure you'll all agree - but that's my life at the moment, and I'm not getting much of a chance to do much else. Saying that though, I have applied for two jobs with the local police (not as police officers, but other positions within the force). I want to help people. Want to make a difference. Always have. Ever since I was a little lad growing up. I didn't see a lot of my dad in my formative years, because he was a fireman. While I was at nursery, or at school, dad was always off helping people and saving lives.

I've always admired him for that. And it's something I've wanted to do ever since. Whether it's the fire service, the police or something within the health service - I will get out of the rut I'm in and into a better, more satisfying job. One where I know I can do just that little bit to make a difference. If I don't get anywhere with these two, I'll keep trying, but I will get there eventually. Is it wanting to make something of myself? Follow in my dads footsteps? At 31, some people would say I'm too old to be doing that, but I'd say you're never too old to follow your dreams.

An update from Friday's blog. Got up this morning, went down stairs into the kitchen to make my breakfast and my bait (food) for work - and the fly population seems to have grown over night. Arrrgghhhh!!!!!

OK, so I opened the back door, tried ushering them out, swatting them - but it wasn't working. Until I came across my secret weapon! My secret weapon? An old can of flea spray left from when I had my ex and our cats living with me. Flea spray is insecticide, so I figured it'd do the same stuff as fly spray. I just sprayed all the areas where the little critters were resting (kitchen door, kitchen windows, net curtain, kitchen light).

Did it work? Put it this way - I now understand the meaning of the phrase 'dropping like flies' lol. One after the other I began sweeping them up from whenst they fell. I think I counted 23 in total by the time I'd finished. I dare say there'll be a few more by the time I get home tonight. Wonderful!

Now, if I could just find a way to get rid of those slugs........permanently!